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5^,'^ Congress! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES j^j^o^^os' 



Robert Roberts Hitt 

( Late a Representative from Illinois ) 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



* 



Fifty-ninth Congress 
Second Session 



HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
February 17, 1907 



SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
February 23, 1907 



Compiled under the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing 



WASHINGTON- : : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : : 1^07 



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JljN 1 1907 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Proceedings in the House 5 

Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden . . 5,7 
Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Lowden, of Illinois 9 

Mr. Clark, of Missouri 14 

Jlr. Payne, of New York 2 r 

Mr. Cousins, of Iowa 24 

Mr. Lamar, of Florida 28 

Mr. Dalzell, of Pennsylvania 30 

Mr. Lacey, of Iowa ■ 33 

Mr. Foss, of Illinois 36 

Mr. Fuller, of Illinois 38 

Mr. Flood, of Virginia 44 

Proceedings in the Senate 47 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Cullom, of Illinois 49 

Mr. Lodge, of Massachusetts 56 

Mr. McCreary, of Kentucky 59 

Mr. Spooner, of Wisconsin 62 

Mr. Kean, of New Jersey '. 65 

Mr. Daniel, of Virginia 67 

Mr. Hopkins, of Illinois 71 



Death of Representative Robert R. Hitt 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE 

Monday, December ^, ipo6. 

This being the day designated b}- the Constitution for the 
annual meeting of Congress, the Members of the House of 
Representatives assembled in tlieir Hall for the second session 
of the Fifty-ninth Congress, and at 12 o'clock m. were called 
to order by the vSpeaker. 

The Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., Chaplain of the House, 
offered the following prayer: 

Eternal God, our heavenly Father, source of all good, onr 
hearts instinctively turn to Thee for wisdom, strength, and 
guidance as we thus gather from all sections of our Union here 
under the Dome of its Capitol to conclude the work of the Fiftv- 
ninth Congress. We ble.ss Thee for the laws with which Thou 
has surrounded us, for the intelligence with which Thou hast 
endowed us, for the riches which have come down to us out of 
the past, for the splendid opportunities of the present, and for 
the bright hopes and promises of the future. Grant, O most 
merciful Father, that the.se Thy .servants may .strive diligently 
to conform their resolves and harmonize their enactments with 
the laws which Thou has ordained. 

Let Thy richest blessings descend upon the Speaker of this 
House, that with characteristic zeal, energy, and courage he 

5 



6 M,-iiiori,iI Addrrssrs: Rolurl R. Ilitt 

may ja;ui<le tlirdnijh all its (k-liberalions to the lii.i!.hest and best 
results. 

Ilhuniiic from on liiK'i t^e minds of those who sit in jiidi;- 
menl upon the laws enacted 1j\- the Conj;ress that their decisions 
nia\' be wise and just. Bless, we l)eseech Thee, the President 
of these I'nited States, his advisers, and all others in authority, 
that the afTairs of state may be wisely administered and the laws 
of the land faithfidl>' executed, that the coordinate branches 
of the Covernnient, thus working together and workinj; with 
Thee, nia\' fulfill in larger measure the ideals conceived of our 
fathers in "a government of the i)eople, by the people, and for 
the])eople," that righteousness, truth, justice, jieace, and good 
will may obtain, to the honor and glory of Thy holy name. 

The empty seals on the floor of this Hou.se remind us of the 
strong-minded, ])tn'e-hcarted, noble men who occujiied them, but 
have been called to the higher life since last we met. W'e thank 
Thee for their genial ])resence so long among us, the work they 
accomplished for State and nation, the sweet memory and illus- 
trious examples left behind them. Be very near, O C.od, our 
Heavenly I'ather. to the berea\ed families. Uphold, sustain, 
and comfort them b\- the bles.sed hope of the innnortalitx' of the 
soul. 

Impart, we implore Thee, more of Thyself luito us all, that 
we may become in deed and in truth sons of the living God after 
the similitude of Th\- Son Jesus Christ oiu' Lord and Master. 
Amen, 

•Mr. LowniCN. Mr. Speaker, it becomes m>- ]:)ainfid duty to 
aiuiounce the death of the Hon. Rohickt R. Hitt, Represent- 
ative of the Thirteenth tlistrict of Illinois. At a later clay I 
.shall ask that .a time be set apart for exerci.ses in memory of 
Mr. Hitt. I now olTer tiie following resolution and move its 
adoption. 



Proeredings in the House 7 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of the death 
of Hon. Robert R. HiTT, a Representative from the State of Illinois in 
thirteen successive Congresses. 

The resolution was agreed to. 

Resoh'L'd, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of the 
deceased this House do now adjourn. 

The resolutions were agreed to. Accordingly, in pursuance 

thereof, the House (at 12 o'clock and 54 minutes) adjourned 

until to-morrow at 12 o'clock noon. 

MoNDiW, /a i/uary /y, igoj. 

Mr. LowDEX- Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous con.sent for the 
present consideration of the following order. 

The Spk.vkek. The gentleman from Illinois asks unani- 
mous consent for the present consideration of the following 
order. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

That there be a session of the House on Sunday, February 17, 1907, 
at 12 o'clock m., which shall be set apart for memorial addresses on 
the life, character, and public services of Hon. ROBERT R. HiTT, late a 
Representative from the Thirteenth Congressional district of Illinois. 

The Speaker. Without objection, the order will be 
agreed to. 

There was no objection. 

Sunday, Fehrua}-y /j, 190J. 

The House met at 12 o'clock noon. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the 
following prayer: 

Blessed is the man IJiat zval/ieili not in t/ie counsel of tlie tingodly, 
nor standcth in tlie way of sinners, 7ior sitteth in the seat of the 
scornful. 

But his deligiit is in the laxv of the Lord: and in His la-w doth 
he meditate day and night. 



8 .}f<i//,>r/(rl .liidn-s.u-s: Robert R. Hill 

And he s/iall In liki a tree planted by the rivers of u'ater, that 
bringcth forth his /'niit in his season; his leaf also shall not 
a'ither: and '<ehatsoever he doelh shall prosper. 

Our Father in heaven, once more under the dispensation of 
Thy providence are we met within these liistoric walls to pay a 
last tribute of respect to one who learned patience, wisdom, 
courage, fortitude, patriotism, and nobility of soul at the feet 
of our martyred Lincoln, and who served for )-ears on the floor 
of this House with signal ability, and died beloved b}' all who 
knew him. (rrant, O most merciful Father, that his example 
mav be an incentive to those who knew him and to those who 
shall come after him to pure living and patriotic citizenship, so 
that when we pass from the scenes of this life men shall rise up 
and call us blessed. 

Comfort his colleagues, friends, and kinsmen with the bles.sed 
hope of the gospel; and help us to look forward with faith and 
confidence to a bles.sed reward in some fairer life, where, with 
the redeemed, we shall live forever; and Thine be the praise, 
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

Mr. LowDEN. Mr. .Speaker, I offer the resolutions which I 
send to the Clerk's desk. 

The vSpe.vkkk. The Clerk will report the resolutions. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved, That the l)usiiiess of the IIou.se be now susiieiiiled, that 
opportunity nia}' be given for trit)utes to the memory of Hon. Rt)iiEKT R. 
UlTT, late a member of thi.s House from the State of Illinois. 

Resolved, That, as a particular mark of respect to the memory of the 
deceased and in recognition of his distinguished public career, the 
House, at the conclusion of these exercises, shall .stand adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk conuininicatc the.se resolutions to the Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk send a coi)y of these resolutions to the family 
of the deceased. 

The vSpiv.xkek. The question is (jn agreeing to the resolu- 
tions. 

The resolutions were agreed to. 



MEMORIAL Addresses 



Address of Mr. Lowden, of Illinois 

Mr. Speaker: Ah old Roman once said that man was to be 
likened to a sentinel on dut}', obliged to staj' at his post until 
summoned hence by his commander. Perplexities might come, 
ill health might pre.ss him down, but he is bound, .smilingly, if 
he can, but patiently anyway, to bear the burdens of the earth 
until released from above. The man whose name we affection- 
ately take upon our lips to-day, whose image is in our hearts, 
illustrated by his life and death this everlasting truth. More 
than a decade ago death was very near him, and during the 
time that since has intervened he knew that he was under .sen- 
tence to die almost any day. And j-et never was he more 
useful to his country than during these years. He was, in 
very truth, a sentinel on guard, and .serenely served his coun- 
try and his time until the summons came. There is nothing 
which more dignifies man, which more benefits the world, 
than obedience to the law of service until the very end of life. 
The young can exhibit no triumph of mind which, in stiblim- 
ity, equals that of the old man — old as the world measures 
age — who looks point-blank into eternity and genially and gra- 
ciously helps to bear the burdens of the world. Robert 
Roberts Hitt was fine in his splendid youth; he was finer 
.still in his latest years. Though he knew that death had but 
given him truce, he lavished the best that was in him upon his 
country, family, and friends. He made it ea.sier for all of tis 

9 



lO Memorial Addresses: Robert K. Hill 

to meet old age and to meet it with a smile. Never were his 
perceptions keener, his charity broader, nor his affections deeper 
than during the very last year he walked the earth. His soul 
never shone more resplendent than at this time, though his 
feeble body was galloping to the grave. Then wh\- shall we 
not Ijelieve that he survived the clay where he once abode and 
that we shall meet him yet again ? 

Rokk:kt Roberts Hitt was born at Urbana, Ohio, Januar>' 
i6, 1S34. His parents were Rev. Thomas H. Hitt and limily 
John Hitt. The former was a menUjer of the Methodist 
Church. When young Robert was 3 years of age his parents 
migrated to Ogle Comity-, 111., and .settled at Mount Morris. 
Thomas Hitt was described by those who knew him as a man 
of high character and ideals, devoted to his work. The pioneer 
preacher in every stage of the development of this country has 
borne a conspicuous part: Thomas Hitt was a fine type of his 
cla.ss. The mother of Robert was a woman of great intellect- 
ual ability and beauty of character. This is the uniform testi- 
mony of those who knew her best. 

Young Hitt was educated at Rock River .SeminarN' and at 
Ue Pauw University. During his college course he grew deeply 
intere.sted in the .stenographic art and became a verj- accom- 
plished shorthand reporter. He preserved to history the Lincoln- 
Douglas debates of fifty-eight, and it is said that Mr. Lincoln 
never arose to .speak during that epoch-making time until he 
he had assured himself that "Bob" Hitt was present and at 
his post. To us of Illinois he seemed the clo.sest link between 
the martyred Lincoln and the times we call our own. The con- 
fidence in and friendship for HiTT which Lincoln cherished, the 
reverence which HiTT felt for Lincoln, who once was ours and 
now belongs to the world, made Lincoln seem very near to us 
indeed. 



Address of Mr. Lcmuirii, of TUinois ii 

Mr. HiTT was first secretary of legation at Paris from 1874 
to 1881 and charge d'affaires a part of that time. He was First 
Assistant Secretary of State under Blaine during Garfield's 
Administration. He was elected to Congress from the old 
Ninth Illinois district in 1882, and served continuously until 
the time of his death, September 20, 1906. He became chair- 
man of the Committee on Foreign Affairs at the beginning of 
the Fifty-first Congress. He was appointed in July, 1898, by 
President McKinle>-, member of the commission to establish 
government in the Sandwich Islands. During the last years of 
his life he was also Regent of the Smithsonian Institution. 

Mr. HiTT was married in 1874 to Miss Sallie Reynolds, a lady 
of great beauty, charm of manner, and cultivation of mind, who, 
with two sons, Reynolds and William F., survive him. 

His home was a happy one. Those who were privileged to 
enter it found culture and hospitality so graciously interwoven 
that every visit there produced a delightful memory. 

Of Mr. Hitt's career in Congress, his old colleagues in this 
House are better fitted than I to .speak. I may be permitted, 
however, to say that the people of our district were proud of 
his achievements and knew that his counsel was of infinite 
value to the nation. In every crisis in our foreign affairs we 
turned confidently- to Washington, for we knew that the wise, 
just, patient statesman we had .sent you would be heard. 

He was the soul of honor, and simplicity was the domiuant 
quality of .his mind and heart. Elaborate logic, too much re- 
fined, will miss the goal, where .simple, unpretentious directness 
will win. This .simplicity of which I .speak was never more 
marked than in his public utterances. There are two kinds of 
speeches — oue intended to show the marvelous mental machin- 
ery of the orator, the other to elucidate the simple truth from 
out a complex mass of facts. Mr. HiTT's method was the latter. 



12 Memorial Addnssrs : Rolurt R. Hilt 

Genial and gentle, he was the most lovable of friends. The 
richness of his mind made him a center of interest in any com- 
pany. Perfect natnralness seemed his. And this is why he 
liked men and men liked him. He was equally at home among 
the great and small. He knew that rank and wealth "were 
btit thin di.sguises of the soul . ' ' 

Almost a quarter of a century ago, on an occasion similar to 

this, he, whom we mourn to-day, in speaking of Major Hawk, 

who had preceded him as Representative to Congress, used these 

words: 

He satisfied his constituents— no easy task, for that Galena district had 
been accustomed to being represented by men of national reputation — 
Baker, Wa.shburne, Burchard — with whom he would be compared. But 
the people appreciated his solid qualities, his worth, his faithful services. 
They trusted and honored him again and again, and when he was cut oflF 
so untimely they mourned his death as a personal sorrow. 

These words seem to have been as prophetic of his own career 
as they were descriptive of that other career then just closed. 
He was always proud of his district, and the district jti.stified him 
in his pride. If thrift, intelligence, patriotism, and .self-respect 
are, as I believe, the qualities which finally give superiority to 
men, the people of this district are second to none anywhere. 
He had an affection for the old district, and it loved him. 

It is indeed a notable di.strict. It was the home of Grant 
;nid Rawlins, upon whom that great captain leaned. It was 
once represented in the Congress of the United States by 
Baker, who fell at Balls Bluff while yet "his fame was in its 
dawn." Early in the fifties, before the Republican jwrty was 
born, this district sent Elihu B. Washburue to this Chamber, 
where he remained until he became minister to France. Then 
came Horatio C. Burchard, who was a recognized authority on 
all (juestions of finance. He in turn was followed by Robert 
M. A. Hawk, a gallant .soldier who died all too .soon the 



Address of Mr. Lmvdcn^ of Illinois 13 

result of wouuds received in the civil war. From then until 
a few months ago, Robert Roberts Hitt was the fitting 
Representative of the historic Galena district. Of the great 
group I have named Burchard alone sunives, and the evening 
of his life is gently closing in about him. 

I have heard man}- regret that Mr. HiTT'.s distinguished 
services to his country did not bring him higher place. I can 
sympathize with the thought which prompts the regret, but I 
do not join in the conclusion reached. It seems to me that to 
have served his couutr\- with the ability and fidelity which 
always characterized hinr to have spent the last quarter of a 
centur)' of his life in this great body; to have won its admira- 
tion and respect, and now to live in its affections is a perfect 
public career. 

On a lovely September afternoon, near the beautiful town in 
which he lived, I beheld the dust of Robert Robert.s Hitt 
descend into the earth. It seemed to me as I .stood there that 
much of the brightness of this world had also gone into that 
grave. But what we saw was not our friend — it was onlj- the 
garment of his immortal .soul. Some place, we know not how 
nor where, that bright, bewitching, and gentle mind, that 
tender love, hav-e found full play. 



14 Monorial Addresses: Rol)ert R. I/itf 

Address of Mr. Clark, of Missouri 

Mr. Spkakkk: 

With (Isep affection 
And recollection 
I often think of 

Robert Robkrts Hitt. He was as fine a gentleman as his 
generation could show; able, kind, generous, courteous, grace- 
ful, gentle, faithful, with a wealth of experience and knowl- 
edge equaled b}- few Representatives or vSenators and excelled 
perhaps by none. He possessed the somewhat unustial facult}- 
of imparting information without even a hiut of superiority, 
and therefore without offense. He knew not only men but 
books, being a most diligent and enthusia.stic .student of the 
great masters in both English and French, for. among his many 
accomplishments, he read the language of Molliere, \'oltaire, 
Rossuet, and Mirabeati with the ease and precision of a Parisian. 
King Solomon hath it that "Words fitly spoken are like apples 
of gold in pictures of silver. ' ' In the rush and swirl of things 
here what our lamented friend Col. Charles Fremont Cochran, 
of St. Joseiih, Mo., was wont to denominate "the old and ex- 
perienced Member," .sometimes fails in that thoughtful kindness 
.and \-aluable sugge.stiou which would cheer the new Member 
out of that feeling of utter forlornne.ss which comes to most 
men upon their first appearance here. This Capitol, like "Fame's 
proud temple, .shines afar," with an irresistible fascination to 
the as])iring man; liut upon entering it, conunLssioned to .sit in 
the seats of the mighty, he finds the veterans so busy with 
their own plans, laliors, ambitions, and .schemes that he feels 
as lonesome as did Alexander Selkirk on his desert isle. As I 
have now come to be one of Cochran's "old and experienced 
Meml)ers," I make free to suggest that we should alwavs be 



Address of Mr. Clark, of Missouri 15 

careful to give the newcomers the glad hand. We nia\- be wel- 
coming statesmen unawares. 

Thi.s train of thought was suggested by ni}' experience with 
Mr. Chairman HiTT. At the beginning of the Fifty-fifth Con- 
gre.ss, when I returned to the House after two years of invoUui- 
tary rustication, I wanted Mr. Speaker Reed to place nie on the 
Committee on Rivers and Harbors, which he would not do, .say- 
ing that I had too many rivers in my district, but that he would 
give me a better assignment. My friend, Senator Joseph Wel- 
don Bailey, then the minority leader in the Hou.se, tried to dis- 
suade me from my purpose to go on Rivers and Harbors, prom- 
ising to use his influence with vSpeaker Reed to give me a good 
committee. I was never certain, however, where I would land 
until the last night of the extra session in the sunnner of 1.S97, 
when, just before the committees were announced, Mr. HiTT 
came over to mj' desk, placed his hand affectionately upon my 
shoulder, asked me if I thought he and I could get along ami- 
cably together on a committee, told me of my a.ssignment, and 
welcomed me most cordialh' to membership on the .great Com- 
mittee on Foreign Affairs, composed of a rare .set of men, where 
I served six years with great profit to m^^self and, I liope, with- 
out detriment to the country. From that night, by reason of 
that gracious action on the part of Mr. HiTT, I loved the man 
with something of filial affection and shall always fondly cherish 
his memory. 

If I had the entire membership of the next Hou.se before me 
I would feel very much like delivering a lecture on the relative 
value of committee assignments; it might save much of heart 
burning; and the first thing I would tell them would be that 
membership on Foreign Affairs is much underrated generally. 
It is not merely a dress-parade committee, as .some folks imag- 
ine. It has multifarious duties, mo.st of them important, 



l6 Memorial Addresses: Robert K. Hitt 

some of extreme delicacy, and others of far-reaching conse- 
quences. In my six years' ser\-ice on it two great debates 
grew out of bills which we reported and on which the conunittee 
was divided. 

Governor Nelson Dingley gave me .some valuable information 
about committees out of his large experience. 

I once asked him as to the comparative value of jilaces on 
Appropriations and Ways and Means. He said that as a men- 
tal training they were lioth of the highest value in precisel>' 
oppo.site directions — that .service on Appropriations drove a man 
into details, while service on Ways and Means forced him iiUo 
generalization: that a rea.sonable .service on both was of incal- 
culable value as an educational process. I have never received 
more suggestive information than that. In this connection it 
is not out of place to remark that Governor Dingley was much 
more of a philosopher than he was commonly credited with 
being. A man knowing what he thought on the tariff and what 
I think on that subject ma)- be surprised to learn that he once 
gave me what I consider pointers of prime value as to the 
theory of making a tariff- revi.siou bill from my own standpoint, 
but that is a fact, nevertheless, for which I am grateful to 
him, though in his gra\e. 

Men may come and men ma)- go, Imt the great Conunittee on 
Foreign Affairs will never have a chairman more thoroughly 
ideal in equipment, character, manner, and conduct than was 
Mr. Chairman Hitt. 

Everybody acquainted with my mental processes knows that 
to talk of Col. Thomas Hart Benton has become a sort of fad 
with me. It is not unlikely that I sometimes bore i)eo])le about 
him. I do not believe that "The Great Mi.ssourian " has had 
a fair deal in history, which I intend he shall have if I li\-e long 
enouuh. 



Address of Afr. Chifk, of MissoKz-i 17 

So one morning in the last year of Senator George Frisbie 

Hoar's life he and I happened to come up to the Capitol together 

on a street car. I said: 

Senator, whicli knew the more — John yuincy Adams or Col. Thomas H. 
Benton ? 

With a merry twinkle in his e\'e he replied: 

If it hail been left to them to decide, both knew the more. 

Then he added: 

Well, that is hardly a fair statement. They differed so much in their 
fields of investigation that it is difficult to compare them. John Quincy 
Adams knew more about o.ir foreign affairs than any other American of 
his time, and Colonel Benton knew more about our domestic affairs than 
any .American of his time. 

A philosophic remark, surely. So, I think, it maj' be stated 
without exaggeration that Mr. HiTT knew as much about 
our foreign relations as an)- man of his time. 

His whole life had been a training for that high, onerous, 
and delicate position. As a youth he reported for Abraham 
Lincoln the far-re.sonnding Douglas and Lincoln debates — 
which in itself was a liberal jiolitical education. Such a 
privilege as sitting at the feet of Abraham Lincoln and Ste- 
phen A. Douglas to learn wisdom comes to few young men. 
It not only brought him into close personal contact with 
those mental Titans, but gave him a splendid coign of vantage 
from which to view and measure the big Illinoi.sans of that 
day, and what a magnificent array it was: Douglas, Lincoln, 
David Davis, General Shields, Lyman Trumbull, Dick Yates 
the first, Dick Oglesby, Leonard Swett, Richardson, Browning, 
Elihti B. Washburne, Long John Wentworth, the Lovejoys, 
John A. Logan, John M. Palmer, John A. McClernand, 
William R. Morrison, and Joseph Medill. 

Besides these and other seasoned veterans whose \oice has 
filled the trump of fame. Senator Shelby M. Cullom was 

H. Doc. KoS, 59-2 2 



1 8 Memorial Ad(fnssrs: Robert R. Hit I 

he5i;iniiiiig his long career, and, Mr. Speakt-r, your political 
star, now blazing like Sirius at the zenith, was just peeping 
above the horizon. 

A.ssociation with those men — even a passing glimpse at 
them — was enough to send any young.ster upon a ])oliticaI 
voyage. 

It is appropos to state that one of the most dramatic 
pieces of prose in our vernacular is in The Crisis, where 
Win.ston Churchill describes the Freeport debate betwixt 
Douglas and Lincoln in 185S, at which time and place was 
settled not only the Illinois United States Senatorship for 
which the>- were wrestling, but also the stupendous issue of 
tlie Presidential election of i860. 

Seldom in this world has there been — seldom in this world 
will there be — a question asked and answered eiw which 
hinges .such momentous events as upon the question so care- 
fully fornuilated by Lincoln, so carefully recorded by HiTT, 
and .so promptly answered by "the Little Giant." 

It seems to me that if the thousands of men, women, and 
children assembled in that soggy grove, in that drizzling 
weather, that da\' at Freeport, could have really comprehended 
the full significance of Lincoln's question and the words of 
Douglas, thej' would have shrieked with terror and w(juld 
have fled appalled; but fortunately, mercifully — 

Heaven from all creatiire.s hides the Ixwk of fate. 

Oh! Blindness to the future kindly j^iven. 

That each may fill the circle marked by heaven. 

And no htunan being there that day except Lincoln him.self 
appears to lia\-e thought that anything had been accomplished 
except that Lincoln had reelected Douglas to the Senate — 
which he had. It seems to have (occurred to no one there 
except to Lincoln what is clear to everybody now — that by that 



Address of Mr. Clark, of Missouri 19 

day's work Lincoln had not only lost to Douglas the splendid 
prize of the Senatorship, but had won for himself the more 
splendid prize of the Presidency; but such is the truth of 
history. 

The ' ' Bob Hill ' ' to whom Churchill so f requenth- refers in 
those intense chapters, and whom Lincoln loved and leaned 
upon, was Robert Roberts Hitt. 

When Mr. Churchill comes to issue a new and revised edi- 
tion of his thrilling novel, he .should .strike out the name of 
Hill and insert Hitt. 

After those debates, .Mr. Hitt had a position in Washington 
which enabled him to study at short range the great men here — 
especially the Missouri giant, James S. Greene, who had no 
superior in the Senate, a .statesman of whom Mr. HiTT de- 
lighted to speak. 

For years Mr. HiTT was our secretary of legation and charge 
d'affaires to the French court. This service brought him into 
close contact with the choice spirits of the Third Republic, 
Thiers, Gambetta, McMahon, Victor Hugo, antl the rest; al.so, 
of course, he was thrown into the company of the diplomats 
from other lands. 

The next step in his diplomatic education was that he served 
as Assistant Secretary of vState under James Gillespie Blaine 
when that brilliant man was in the flower of his j'ears and in 
the prime of his splendid powers. 

Thus equipped and thus educated, Mr. HiTT entered the 
House, where he ser\'ed nearly a quarter of a century and where 
from the first he was considered an authority on all matters 
pertaining to our foreign relations. He was a model chairman. 
He would have made a model vSecretary of State or an ideal 
ambassador to a foreign court. 

If his health had been good, he probatily would have been 



20 Memorial Addrcssca : Rohrrl A'. Hilt 

elected Vice-Presiileiit in 1904, perhaps without a contest for 
the iionii nation, as it is generally understood that \'ice- President 
Fairbanks did not realh- desire the position — at any rate was 
not an active candidate. It is safe to say that had Mr. Hitt 
been elected he would have discharged the duties of that 
exalted statitjn with such consummate grace and tact as to 
recall the days of Aaron Burr, who, notwithstanding the odium 
which rests upon his name, is still ranked by the traditions of 
the Senate as foremost among its presiding officers. 

Mr. Hitt made it a point to give one state dinner to his com- 
mittee during each Congre.ssional term, and I feel certain that 
all who served luider him on his committee will bear me wit- 
ness that to accept his hospitalit)^ was a delight, for we all felt 
that we were welcome guests-r— invited not on compulsion, but 
because he realh- wished to contribute to our happiness and to 
cement our friend.ship. Such courtesies may be classed among 
these which General Garfield once felicitously characterized as 
"the flowers growing over the dividing walls of parti.san 
politics." 

Mr. Hitt was one of the finest raconteurs I have ever known. 
His mind was stored with anecdotes of the richest character 
about the most interesting personages of both hemispheres, and 
he was a rare arti.st in conversation. Many of his friends, in- 
cluding my.self, begged him to write a book of reminiscences, 
and it's a pity — a positive loss to literature — that he did not 
do .so. 

On March 4 I will have served tweh'e years here. When 
this Congress began, there were thirty-nine Members who had 
served longer. Fifteen of these will not be Members of the 
House in the Sixtieth Congress. Thus rapidly changes the 
personnel of this body — once more teaching us what shadows 
we are and what shadows we pursue. 



Address of Mr. Paym\ of Xca' York 



Address of Mr. Payne, of New York 

Mr. Speakb;r ; Mj- acquaintance with Robert R. Hitt 
began in December, 18S3, at the opening session of the Forty- 
eighth Congress. His Congressional career commenced a j^ear 
earlier, he having been elected in November, 1882, to fill a 
vacancy whicli followed the death of his predecessor. From 
my earliest acquaintance with him I enjoyed his personal 
friendship until the end cjf his life. 

He completed twenty-four years of continuous service here, 
an honor and distinction which has rarely been accorded to any 
Representative. This continued fidelity of his constituents 
who sent him here was most creditable to them, as it was hon- 
orable to Mr. Hitt. 

He came here after a thorough political training. As a boy 
at the post-office in the village store he was regularly perched 
upon a box or barrel to read from the New York Tribune 
from some published speech of a statesman like William H. 
Seward or an editorial from the pen of Horace Greeley to the 
few Republicans who in the early days of the party gathered 
about waiting for their mail. He said to me that he had fir.st 
regarded these speeches and writings as dull and uninteresting. 
Later he became interested, and by them were laid the founda- 
tion of his political character, which made him a firm believer 
in the principles of his party. 

Later it was his good fortune to be able to take down in 
shorthand the great debate between Abraham Lincoln and 
Stephen A. Douglas, a debate that paved the way for Lincoln's 
elevation to the Presidency and found for him a place among 
the world's immortals; it likewise added new luster to the 
already great renown of Douglas. 



22 Mtiuorial Addresses: Robert K. Hilt 

Mr. HiTT's first public service was as first secretary of the 
legation in Paris, in which capacity he served from 1874 to 
1 88 1, and during a portion of the time, in the absence of his 
chief, acting as charge d'affaires ad interim. In March, 
18S1, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of State, which 
ofiBce he held until he took his seat in Congress during the 
following year. As a legislator his principal work was in con- 
nection with our foreign affairs. He was a member of the 
House Committee on Foreign Affairs during nearly all of his 
ser\'ice here and was for an unprecedented period its chairman, 
the honored po.sition which lie held at the time of his death. 

For a comprehensive knowledge of our foreign relations and 
a thorough understanding of every diplomatic que.stion that 
has arisen Mr. HiTT had no superior. He had always at his 
command the details of every complication that aro.se between 
foreign countries, the history of all important matters which 
led up to the i.ssue, and wonUl often in an offhand conversation 
surpri.se the best of the world's diplomats l)y his thorough 
analysis and conclusions. He was often sought for informa- 
tion and coun.sel. Though his tastes and his life work were 
more distinctively connected with questioiis of foreign inter- 
cotir.se, he was equalh- well i'"'^'-'-'d upon all questions of a 
national character. 

He was a thorough gentleman, kind, ol)ligiiig, and diplo- 
matic, but not the least exclusive. He had an inner circle of 
friends, because .some admired him and .sought him more than 
others; but he had a kind word for all; was the .same amiable, 
independent gentleman to everyone with whom he came in 
contact. He was a good politician as well as a .statesman. It 
was my good fortune to s])eak with him from the .same platform 
to .some of his people in a recent campaign. He not only showed 
keen knowledge of public affairs, but drawing his illustrations 



Address of Mr. Pavnc, of Xnv York 23 

from tjusiness incidents in the locality, giving the names of the 
parties, the dates of the transaction, his appeal was one of the 
most forcible to which I ever listened. He was a good mixer 
among the crowd that gathered about him; had a good memorj' 
for names and incidents in the lives of the men whom he met. 
This appearance of Mr. Hitt among his own people, and the 
evident regard and warm friendship with wliich they greeted 
him, was proof that they kept him here not only because they 
admired him for his greatne.ss of character, but because they 
loved him as a man. 

Mr. Speaker, others will speak of Mr. Hitt as he appeared 
to them. I only speak briefly of him as he appeared to me, 
without dwelling upon his great public ser\-ice. He was a 
manly man, a high-toned gentleman in the best sense, a faithful 
friend, a wise and industrious public servant, a kind father, and 
a devoted husband. His life was an illustration of American 
manhood at its best. 



24 Meiiiorial jlddrcsscs : Rolnrt R. Hitt 



Address of Mr. Cousins, of Iowa 

Mr. Speaker: When it comes to the last analysis of the 
character of men who have served conspicuously for any con- 
siderable period in American public life, the result is usually a 
verdict of essential virtue. 

For example, if we consider our Presidents in historv, an 
ex])ose of their characters and accomplishments affords an inspi- 
ration and a realization which invoh-es both i^enuine goodness 
and distinijuished abilit\' that challenj^es the world and all time 
for conqiarative examples. 

If we consider oitr judiciary in history altogether, the record 
of their administration of equity and law — that is to sa\-, of 
justice — reveals no blur upon the ermine of that order suffi- 
cient even to taint its shroud nor to di.scoiu'age any man who 
feels the deeper inspiration of aliility and exalted character. 

When we contcin])late, as we do to-da\', the legislators of our 
nation in its history — I mean by that the men whose eyes are 
closed forever from our countr\- and the world and from the 
mace; who.se ears are deaf to i)raise and to the g.-ivel's fall, and 
whose hearts no longer feel the llirill of acti(.>n n(jr of noljle 
])urp(jses and of honest deeds, nor the faithful friend.ship of 
conu'ades and constituents — tlie conclusion in no way eml)ar- 
ra.sses the contemplation, Ijut rather leads it ftu'ther irito dee])er 
consideration of the characters involved. 

Ivamenting the loss of his living presence, liis \-italizing use- 
fulness, and his sympathetic hel])fulne.ss, we treasure not oid\- 
for to-da\', but for all time, in the records and the memories of 
men the accomplishments and character and the friendship of 
Ri)I!KKT RoHKRTS HiTT. 



Address of Mr. Cousins, of Io7t'a 25 

There are always two elements that make up and round out 
human characters, the inherent and the adventitious — that 
which we bring with us into the world and that which sur- 
roundings and associations give us. Mr. HiTT was peculiarly 
favored by unusual endowments in both these elements. His 
ancestors were pioneers. They were of that stuff which pro- 
duces rugged, cultured men. They helped to mark the early, 
toilsome trails of labor, usefulness, and civilization on our rich, 
young western world. They belonged to that matchless band 
of pioneers who feared neither the lurking dangers of the forest 
nor .shrank from the hardships of adventure and preemption. 
The grandfather came to Ohio from Lincoln's native State, 
Kentucky, and then they went together in a colon>- to that 
wondrous region of the ri\'ers and the hills of Illinois early 
enough to feel the rich, life-giving in.spirations of that virgin 
soil and to realize the thrift of its fertility and the virtue of its 
sterling manhood and devoted womanhood. They founded 
schools and churches and helped to civilize the wilds. They 
flourished with that mighty element of early settlers who.se 
progeu}' continuously pressed farther, even to the western .sea 
and setting sun. 

Robert R. Hitt, who began his life at Urbana, Ohio, in 
1834, had better opportunities than most men of pioneer days 
for development through advantages of circumstances and asso- 
ciations. In the first place, the natural surroundings were of 
that rugged .sort which forbade indulgences involving phy.sical 
deterioration and which at the same time offered opportunities 
for education. He was schooled first at Rock River .Seminary, 
in Illinois, which his father had aided in establishing, and then 
was graduated at A.sbury University (novv De Pauw), in In- 
diana. But perhaps the greatest fortune of his adventitious 
realizations was the opportunity which brought him into clo.se 



26 Memorial Addresses: RohrrI R. Hitt 

association with that wonchous charactLT, Abraham Lincohi. in 
reporting the Lincohi-Douglas debates, and in the closer asso- 
ciations of confidential and ]iers()nal employment. 

Of all ad\-antages that ma\- happen to a yomig mind cajiable 
of understanding, nothing can possibly count for so nnich in 
the way of substantial mental benefit and inspiration as intimate 
association with a great character. 

Of all phenomena in oiu' strange world, the onU' thing that 
holds us constantly, ;uid of which we never tire, is human intel- 
lect, individuality, that ])ersonal something which manifests 
itself originally and in countless ways, through thought or 
deed or melody or dream, that something which is always and 
forever impossible luitil, like its own peculiar genius, it mani- 
fests itself. 

Hut with all the adventitious elements th.-it contributed to his 
life and u.sefulness the kindliest and gentlest of all aids and in- 
spirations was the life association with that hel]iful and distin- 
guished consort who survives to-day, and with whom we share 
in mourning, offering to her and to her family our deep condo- 
lence and assurances of fondness and respect. 

After the eminent advantages of such distinguished associa- 
tions our friend enjoyed the opportunities of extensive foreign 
travel and of observation, which fitted him so preeminently for 
his subsequent duties as a member of the Connnittee on P'or- 
eign Affairs in this great body, which position, as Representa- 
tive from the State of Illinois, he occupied with uiuisual abilit\' 
and exipiisite tact for sixteen \ears, during twelve of which he 
was our chairman. It was in that distinguished position dur- 
ing the mighty and eventful years since 1S90, crossing the 
threshold of the twentieth century, that his great and conserv- 
ative abilities sen-ed so .safely and so well the people and the 
interests of the American nation. 



Address of Mr. Coits///s, of Imca 27 

No man can calculate the value of his devoted, intelligent, 
and diplomatic services in that period of nearh- two decades. 
It is neither necessary or fitting in this brief hour of pensonal 
tributes to analyze the many international exigencies in which 
his superior tact and wisdom were preeminently displaj-ed. 
History has recorded their results. Biography will detail and 
recount them, and future generations will revere the memory 
of him who wrought so nobly and effectively. 

It was over there by the sea, where he tarried in the sunnner 
days last year, be.seechiug God and nature for the .strength to 
come to us again. But at last the sea failed to send him back to 
us, and now we mourn together. 

Years and years ago I heard a black man saj- of Abraham 
Lincoln that the severest criticism could discover in him noth- 
ing that affection would conceal. For the first time, after more 
than a decade, that utterance flashed upon my memorj' when I 
learned that our chairman and our friend could never come to 
us agaiu. 



28 Mi-niorial Addresses: Rolnrt R. Hitt 

\ 

Address of Mr. Lamar, of Florida 

Mr. vSi'KAKKK: Tlie character and fame of Mr. HiTT as a 
public man are secure in the liistory of his country. 

No critic could diminish it. Xo eulogist need .seek to add 
to it. Mr. Hitt had been well prepared for tlie important 
post in the House of Representatives of chairman of the Com- 
mittee on In)rei.i;n Affairs. 

For .seven years he had been .secretary of the American lega- 
tion at Paris. He had been Assistant Secretary of State. 

Those who .served with him in Congress can best .speak of 
the sagacity and high intelligence he always brought to bear 
njxjn public questions, and peculiarly those touching our for- 
eign relations. 

M\- service )i])on the Committee on Foreign Affairs with Mr. 
HiTT was only for a year prior to his passing away. Familiar 
for years past with his eminent public career, my personal 
ac(iuaintance began with him with \\\\ membership in the" 
House of Representatives in the Fifty-eighth Congress. 

I shall leave to others who knew him and served longer with 
him to speak of his deservedly successful public career. I 
desire to bear testimony to those engaging personal qualities 
that caused those who came in contact with Mr. HiTT not onh- 
to admire but to love him. 

Wlio that ever met him could forget his fine intelligence, 
and something more than that, his gracious manner, his kindly 
heart? He exhibited to me more than once his interest in my 
duties upon the Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

More than once he made friendly suggestions, helpful to me 
in my service u]ion that connnittee. 



Address of Mr. Lainar, of Florida 29 

With a proper firmness of character, Mr. Hitt had in an 
eminent degree the charm of gentleness and geiitle considera- 
tion for others. 

An English poet wrote that he would not place upon his list 
of friends a man wlio, though graced with sense, yet, lacking 
sensibility, would .set his foot needle.ssly upon a worm. The 
charm of Mr. Hitt's personality was his exquisite .sensibility, 
united with fine sense. 

Mr. Hitt was a gentle man. He was the true, chivalric 
gentleman. 



30 Memorial Addresses : Robert R. Hilt 



Address of Mr. Dalzell, of Pennsylvania 

Mr. Spkakkk: The very great esteem in which I held Mr. 
HiTT in his hfetinie and in which I liold his nienior\' now, 
together with the recollection of the friendly interest that he 
always manifested iu me, lead me to pay my hunihle tribute to 
his memory on this occasion. He always seemed to me from 
the time when I first knew him to be a man of mark among his 
fellows, conspicuous for his great and varied knowledge, both 
of books and of men, his tactfulness in dealing with the latter, 
and the uniform courtesy that made his a charming per.soiiality. 
I never spent an\' time, however brief, in Mr. HiTT's company 
that I did not feel that I had learned somethin;-;. It is not to 
be wondered at that his accomplishments were varied. His 
public career covered .some of the most critical periods of our 
history and brought him into contact with its most famous 
men. From the civil war to the end of the Spanish war. from 
Lincoln to Roosevelt — of all the happenings of tho.se tempestu- 
ous times he had a right to say, "Quonmi pars magna fui." As 
a \-oung man he reported the famous Lincoln- Douglas debates, 
and drank in from the very fountain head the inspiration of the 
principles for which the martyred President stood. To come 
into contact with Abraham Lincoln was in itself an inspiration. 
That great privilege Mr. Hitt enjoyed, and the memory of it 
followed him like the .savor of a sweet incense throughout all 
the years of his life. 

It was his fortune to lie present at the downfall of the second 
French Em])ire, to witness the rise of the Republic, and by his 
tactfulness and good judgment to contrilnite to the welfare and 
contentment of his fellow-countrymen in Paris during the 



Address of A/r. DalzcII^ of Pc)i)isvh>aiiia 31 

storm}- days of tlie Franco- Prussian war, when he was first sec- 
retary of legation and charge d'affaires ad interim at Paris. 

It was no less his fortune to be the trusted friend and enjoy 
the companionship of the brilliant Blaine, who.se Assi.staut he 
was as Secretary of State. 

He was active, zealous, and exceedingly efficient as a regent 
of the Smithsonian Institution, ardently devoted to the carrying 
out of the objects of that great philanthrop}-, and rendering 
to the duties of his po.sition .such marked attention as has insep- 
arably linked his name with its work and history. As I see 
his portrait hanging on its wall, I am struck with the appro- 
priateness of the place for it. The calm, scholarly atmosphere 
is .suggestive of one pha.se of Mr. Hitt's character, for he loved 
his books and loved to be surrounded by them. 

But it was as a Member of the Hou.se of Representatives that 
he made his greatest and best record. For twenty-four con- 
secutive years he gave to his con.stituents and to his country 
the fruitful service of his cultivated mind, his mature judgment, 
his wise counsel, and his forceful elTorts. He was no idler, no 
fitful worker, but an earnest, honest, faithful, everyday worker 
in the field of legislation. He was the warm, trusted, intimate 
friend of that greatest of parliamentary leaders known in the 
history of the Engli.sh-speaking people, Thomas B. Reed. As 
to all matters relating to international law and international 
relations he wa.s the one recognized authority not only by his own 
party, but by all parties. He shared the confidence of Pre.si- 
dent McKinley and was one of his most relied-upon advisers. 
A participant in the administration of his country's afTairs dur- 
ing the period covered by the Presidencies of Hayes, Garfield, 
Arthur, Cleveland, and Harrison, he was a sharer al.so in the 
new career upon which his country entered during the Admin- 
istration of McKinle}' and Roo.sevelt, the period of expansion of 



32 ^Tcnlorial .1/Mnsscs.- Rohcrl R. Ilill 

world power. To the new problems presented he gave his 
earnest consideration and to their solution his wise counsel. 
He was one of the commissioners to establish a government for 
Hawaii on its annexation to the United States. 

Mr. HiTT died full of years and of honors. His life is a part 
of the hi.story of his time. In him were iniited in a marked 
degree the qualities of the .scholar and of the man of affairs. 
His ideals were high ; his actions loyal to them. The world is 
Isetter because he lived in it. As husband, father, friend, he 
wore the white flower of a lilameless life. And to that inner 
circle of his home, of which he was the light and center, he left 
the priceless legac\' of :i life of lo\e and tenderness. 



Address of Mr. Laccy^ of Iowa '^2> 



Address of Mr. Lacey, of Iowa 

Mr. Speaker: Robert R. Hitt's long; and honorable career 
in this House has been of lasting service to the country, and has 
left his name as another addition to the list of great and worthy 
men given by Illinois to the nation. 

He was a pioneer in the art of stenograph}-, and, at a time 
when there were but few men in the West who could take an 
accurate report of an extemporaneous speech, he reported and 
published the great debate between Lincoln and Douglas in 
their campaign for the Senatorship in Illinois in 1858. To this 
point the minds of his friends naturally turn as the beginning 
of his career. 

It often happens that defeat is the .stepping stone to higher 
success, and Lincoln, though defeated for the office of Senator, 
became an object of great national interest. 

Mr. HiTT preserved Lincoln's exact words for the historian 
and marked an epoch in our history. 

Mr. Hitt's chief service to his country in Congress was in 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs, where he was looked upon as 
the highest national authority. 

His training in the diplomatic service especially fitted him 
for this work. 

The House of Representatives is always ready to listen to the 
man who has something to sa}- upon a public question which he 
thoroughly understands. Helpful men always get an attentive 
hearing. 

Mr. HiTT had given earnest attention to all general and 
political subjects, but he had specialized upon the questions 
H. Doc. Sob, 59-2 3 



34 Memorial Addresses: Robert R. Hiit 

relating to our fort-igii affairs until his colleagues naturally 
turned to him for guidance. Another great lUinoisan, John 
Hay, was at the head of the State Department, a most worthy 
successor to thechairof Webster. Mr. Hitt was a very modest 
man, but he' was always willing to give the Administration and 
the Congress the benefit of his constant study and clear and 
incisive logic. 

He was a thorough diplomat, and, though he took vigorous 
and pronounced positions in deliate, his luiiform courtesy and 
good humor always disarmed hostility and won the respect and 
confidence of the membership of this body without regard to 
party. 

He was always ready. Some of the lie.st speeches made by 
him were delivered upon the .spur of the moment. Circum- 
stances arose in debate in which an answer or elucidation of a 
situation .seemed imperative, and, while he had made no prepa- 
ration for the delivery of a set .speech, he was so full of his 
subject that he was prepared to present the question at issue 
with the cleverness, strength, and polish of a carefully revised 
speech. 

Many instances of this faculty will occur to the memory of 
the older Meniljers with whom he long served. 

But Mr. Hitt was not a man of many words. Kxcellent as 
he was as a speaker, he was a worker rather than a talker. 
He gave full adhesion to the statement of Thomas B. Reed: 

Boasters are worth nothing. Deeds are facts, and remain forever and 
ever. Talk <lies on the empty air. Hetter a pound of ])erformance than a 
shipload of langtiage. 

Humor is the great .safeguard to sanity. To the man who 
has no sense of humor this hard, bleak world becomes intoler- 
able. Mr. Hitt was always ready to see the humorous .side 
of all things. It was a great plea.sure to listen to him when 



Address of Mr. LacT\\ of loiva 35 

some of his friends would skillfully start and direct his conver- 
sation into a channel of reminiscence. 

The period in which Lincoln lived was one of stern responsi- 
bility and involved the gravest and greatest of questions. But 
there has been no time in our national life when American 
humor has had freer scope than in those stirring times. 

No better exponent of the life and times of Lincoln and his 
contemporaries has been known to the present generation than 
Robert R. Hitt. 



36 Memorial Addresses: Robert R. Hit/ 



Address of Mr. Foss, of Illinois 

Mr. Speakkr; I too would lay a laurel at his feet. I mot 
him when I fir.st became a Member of this body. He was 
among the first to welcome me, and that was one of the char- 
acteristics of the man; he had a greeting for every newcomer 
here. I served with him through six Congre.sses and came to 
know him in an intimate way. I was at the train when he left 
this city for the last time to go to Rhode I.sland, where he died. 
He had partially recovered from his illness and was in a cheery 
and happ}- mood, and seemingly confident of complete restora- 
tion. 

He was a man greatly beloved for his gentle and kindly 
qualities. He was genial and generous, sparkling with wit, 
and abounding in delightful reminiscences — a lirilliaut conver- 
sationalist and a delightful companion. 

His _ career was a long and useful one to his country. He 
was a colaborer with the mighty Lincoln. From 1874 to 1S81 
he was first secretary of the legation at Paris, and was later 
transferred to the State Department in Washington as Assistant 
Secretary. He was afterwards elected to the Forty-.seventh 
Congress, and continuoush' reelected to each successive Con- 
gress. He was chairman of the Conunittee on Foreign Affairs, 
and was an authority, the greatest in our country, on all ques- 
tions of foreign relations. ' 

He was a man of splendid ability, a great student, and when 
he addre.s.sed the Hou.se, although not often, he exhausteil the 
subject with wonderful clearne.ss and great power. He was 
fretjuently mentioned for higher ofBces in the gift of his State, 
and was at times a candidate, but alwavs in his candidacies he 



Address of Mr. Foss^ rif IUi)iois yj 

maintained a high dignity and took the position that the office 
should seek the man. To-day he is mourned by all those who 
knew him as a warm and true friend. His name is honored 
and respected everywhere as one who brought great honor 
upon the State and nation which he served. 

He was a man of great refinement, many accomplishments, 
faithful and true to the highest conception of public duty and 
public trust. 



38 Memorial Addresses: Robert R. Hitl 



ADDRESS OF Mr. FULLER, OF ILLINOIS 

Mr. vSpeakkk; I accept this opportunity to pay my tribute 

to the memory of one who, in Hfe, was my friend and in whose 

death I feel a personal loss. 

Was he your friend? Then well you knew 
Hi.s friendship was unfeitjnedly true, 

Robert R. Hitt was a typical American gentleman, uiiiver- 
sall>- liked by those who knew him. Of him it might well be 
said that ' ' Those who knew him best loved him most, and those 
who knew him little loved him much." He was reared on the 
broad prairies of northern Illinois, but a few miles from my own 
home. His parents came with him to Ogle County, 111., when 
he was but 3 years of age. There he grew to manhood, was 
educated in the public schools and Rock River Seminary (now^ 
called Mount Morris College), and at De Pauw University. He 
took up the calling of a shorthand reporter and was one of the 
few who earl}- became proficient in that calling. He reported 
for the Chicago Triljune the celebrated debates between those 
two Illinois giants, Lincoln and Douglas, in the campaign for 
the United States Senate in 1858. He was afterwards appointed 
official court reporter for the State of Illinois. 

In 1S67-6S he made a trij) abroad, visiting Great Britain, 
the continent of Europe, Egypt, and the Holy Land. In 1868 
he became private .secretary to Governor Morton, of Indiana. 
Afterwards he was for several years secretary of the legation 
and charge d'affaires at Paris, and in 1881 became A.ssistant 
Secretary of State tnider James G. Blaine. In 1882 he was 
elected to Congress to succeed to the vacancy caused by the 
death of the Hon. R. M. A. Hawk, and was reelected to each 



Address of Mr. Fuller^ of I/liiwis 39 

succeeding Congress until the present Congress. During the 
ten years preceding ni}- first election to this House, in 1902, 
Mr. HiTT represented my home county, which was then a part 
of his district, and for twenty years he represented the adjoin- 
ing county of Winnebago, now in my district. During that 
time I came to know him ver>- well indeed, and the better I 
knew him the more I admired him for his ability and his great 
qualities of head and heart. In all his political career no taint 
attached to an%' official act of his; the finger of suspicion even 
was never pointed at him. In all the relations of life he was 
W'hat has been termed "the noblest work of God," an honest 
man. I happen to know that other, and what might be called 
"higher," political honors might have l)een his had he been 
willing to do what some men deem legitimate in order to obtain 
such honors. His honor was dearer to him than an}' political 
preferment, and the consciousness of having maintained that 
honor un.stained was his to the end of life. 

Those who served with him through a longer part of the 
twentv-four years of his service in this House than I are better 
qualified to speak of his work here; I know that his work was 
appreciated and recognized as of the greatest value to the whole 
country. On questions relating to our foreign affairs he was an 
acknowledged authority. I saw enough of him here to know 
that, while he did not speak often, he never lacked for respect- 
ful attention when he had anj'thing to say, and he never in- 
truded himself upon the attention of the House unless he did 
have something to say. I heard his great speech in defense of 
the course of the Administration in the matter of the acquisition 
of the canal strip across the Isthmus of Panama, and the recog- 
nition by this Government of the new Republic of Panama. 
It was a masterly arginnent and one that, it seemed to me, 
must carrv conviction to ever_\- fair-minded man who heard it. 



40 Memorial Addresses : Robert R. Hitt 

His knowledge of international law and precedent was, at least, 
equal to that of any other man in the nation. When such a 
man departs the country mourns. But in the country at large 
we have learned to know that tlie life of no one man is of very 
great consequence. " Ciod moves in a mysterious way His 
wonders to perform." Millions of flags may float at half-mast 
to-day for the loss of one upon whom we have looked as a great 
aud almost indispensable leader; but to-morrow those same flags 
will float as high as ever. The great world will move on, the 
progress of the nation will be stayed, if at all, only for a mo- 
ment. Instinctively we turn our faces away from the tomb and 
take tip anew the ordinary pursuits of life. However great or 
.strong or mighty, however exalted in po.sition or power or 
achievements, whatever of fame or wealth he ma)- have pos- 
sessed, death, the great leveler, reduces high and low alike to 
dust, and but a memory or an example remains. 

The places of the departed are filled, even as the waters of 
the sea cover over and level the space where a ship has gone 
down. The greatest monument that any man can rear for 
himself, or leave to mark the place that he has filled in the 
world, is that in his time, in the age and generation in which 
he lived, he made the most of his opportunities; that, con.sider- 
ing his environment, as he was given to see the right, he did 
the be.st he could. Measured by this standard Robert R. Hitt 
left a priceless legacy to his family and friends; a legacy in 
which his legion of friends all share. He lived in an age of the 
greatest achievements, of the grandest times the world has ever 
known. He knew and was intimately as.sociated with many 
of the greatest men of the period in which he lived. He was 
the friend and as.sociate of Aliraham Lincoln, Elihu B. Wash- 
burne, John A. Logan, James ('.. Blaine, Thomas B. Reed, 
Nelson Dingley, William McKink-y, and a host of other leaders 



Address of Mr. Fuller, of Illinois 41 

of thought and action in their day and generation, all of whom 
preceded him to the other shore, that far-off country from which 
none have ever returned. 

Mr. HiTT was a RepubHcan and participated in the achieve- 
ments and the glory of that great organization from the day of 
its birth to the day of his death. Yet he was not a hidebound 
partisan and his friends were by no means limited to the mem- 
bers of his own party, but were to be found in the ranks of all 
parties. He was great enough and broad enough to recognize 
the good in those who differed with him in political belief, and 
he had the respect and esteem of all who knew him, -regardless 
of party affiliations. I remember well an incident he once re- 
lated to me of an occurrence at Paris while he was connected 
with the American legation there. A prominent Democratic 
Member of Congress was visiting in Paris and expressed to Mr. 
HiTT his desire to meet the great French statesman Gambetta. 
Mr. HiTT went with him and introduced him to Gambetta. In 
France, especially at that time, party feeling ran high and 
members of one political party were not apt to be on terms of 
personal friendship with those of the opposing party. Gambetta 
expressed surprise that Mr. Hitt, a Republican, .should intro- 
duce as his friend a prominent member of the Democratic party, 
and he said: 

Mr. Hitt, I do not understand this. How is it that you, whom I know 
to be a Republican, introduce to nie as your friend a gentleman whom I 
know very well by reputation as a prominent Deniocr.at? I do not under- 
stand it at all. 

Oh— 

Replied Mr. HiTT— 

in our country we do not let political differences interfere at all in matters 
of personal friendship. This gentleman is my friend, and although we 
do not believe alike on mere matters of politics we are yet alike in love of 
our common country and loyalty to its flag. 



42 Memorial .LMnssrs: Kohcrt R. Hilt 

With a inagnificeiit gesture of commendation Gambetta 
replied: 

Hi'hold, the iileal Re])ublic 

And in that respect, thank God, it is ideal, and north and 
south, east and west, everywhere, from the Great Lakes to the 
Gulf and from the rock}' shores of New England to the 
golden gate of the Pacific — aye, from the frozen regions of 
Alaska to the sun-kissed islands of the southern seas — we are 
one people, with one flag floating over us, glorying in a com- 
mon heritage and going forward to a common destiny, which 
we believe, under God, will be more grand and glorious than 
anything the world has ever known. 

In the upbuilding of this great nation, now in the x&xy fore- 
front among the most civilized and progressive nations of the 
earth, Robert R. Hitt was a factor and did his part among 
the patriotic and progressive leaders of his time. He will be 
niLs.sed in the sphere of usefulness where his counsel and his 
work was of value to the nation; he will be missed in the great 
district he .so long and .so ably represented; he will be mi.ssed 
bv the thousands of loyal friends who admired, respected, and 
loved him. No more will his voice be heard in this Chamber. 
Scholar, dijjlomat, statesman — his labors for his country and 
for humanity are ended. Kind, genial, companionable man — 
his virtues and his example remain with us. It is a pleasure 
to believe that death does not end all; that, in the l.inguage of 
the ])Oet — 

Tliere's a laiiil thai is fairiT than day ; 

That our friends have not gone from us forever, but that — 
In the sweet by-and-by we .shall meet on that beautiful .shore — 

where there is no more .sorrow, or death, or parting. Where 
all that is best in man survives and all that is unworthy is left 
forever behind ; where the weaknesses, and the jealou-sies. and 



Address of Mr. Fuller^ of Illitwis 43 

the animosities of this life fade into insignificance and are 

forgotten. 

The seas are quiet when the winds give o'er; 

So calm are we when passions are no more : 

For then we know how vain it was to boast 

Of ileeting things too certain to be lost. 

Clouds of affection from our younger eyes 

Conceal that emptiness which age descries. 

The soul's dark cottage, battered and decayed, 

Lets in new light through chinks that time has made ; 

Stronger by weakness, wisermen become, 

As they draw nearer to their eternal home. 

Leaving the old, both worlds at once they view, 

That stand upon the threshold of the new. 



44 Memorial Addresses: Robert R. Hill 



Address of Mr. Flood, of Virginia 

Mr. Spkakkk: The tradition of Diogenes lighting a lantern 
at midday in Athens and announcing that he was searching for 
a man naturally provokes a smile. But Diogenes was by far 
too profound and earnest a man to be associated with the 
ridiculous. What the rigid philosopher meant was that he 
was upon the search of a man who regarded things intrinsic- 
ally and .shaped his life accordingly. 

I believe he would have ended his quest had he met with 
Robert R. Hitt. 

The entire career of our departed friend and colleague was 
concerned with large and vivifying and inspiring matters. He 
was saturated upon the \-er}- threshold of his manhood with 
that wonderful debate between Lincoln and Douglas — alike 
dramatic and fraught with tremendous results. His subse- 
quent life got its trend from that season of intimate as.sociation 
with those might)' reasoners. 

The congenial studies to such a spirit were large questions 
with large relation. His varied experience for many years 
served to sharpen his faculties and to broaden their range. 

Mr. Hitt ser\'ed during the momentous revolution in a 
confidential capacity to that colos.sal war minister, Edwin M. 
Stanton. During those exciting years succeeding the downfall 
of Napoleon the Third he was secretary- of the legation to 
France. Afterwards he was assistant to Blaine in the Depart- 
ment of vState. 

What a unique and splendid career. One to dazzle and turn 
the heads of most men — Robkkt R. Hitt they only steadied 
and .sobered. , 



AMrcss of Mr. Flood, of J 'irgiiiia 45 

How well qualified he was for the discharge of his difficult 
duties upon the Committee on Foreign Affairs; how admirably 
did he discharge those duties; how perfectly, as if by processes 
of nature, he measured up to all of the requirements exacted of 
him; how enviable was he throughout his entire career, and jet 
without ever exciting envy, so true and modest and lovable a 
gentleman he was. 

Mr. HiTT was an incessant student of generous and .stimulat- 
ing topics. The value of such studies is inestimable. Cicero 
declared in a kindred case: "These .studies foster our earlier 
\"ears, afford delight in our later years, adorn us in prosperity, 
prove a refuge and a solace in adversity. They impart gratifi- 
cation at home; they embarrass not abroad; they are with us 
during the vigils of the night; thej- roam with us in foreign 
lands, and are our companions amid the retirement of rural 
scenes." 

Mr. Speaker, eloquent and touching tributes are being paid 
to our friend. His long and versatile career is being happilj- 
and faithfulh" delineated. But the highest tribute paid to him 
is the unvaried testimony to his unselfish and disinterested kind- 
liness. Who that has known it does not cherish its memory 
with gratitude and admiration? 

His unobtrusiveness, his self-poise, his .sj'mpathy, his com- 
panionableness were based upon the profound intuition of ju.s- 
tice. With an ingenuous but not overawing estimate of his 
own merits, he generouslj' responded to those of others, and 
there was a frankness and simplicity in his greeting and inter- 
course that stamped the genuineness of the man. 

He ever ' ' wore without reproach the grand old name of gen- 
tleman." 

Mr. Speaker, justice is indeed a high attribute, if not the very 
highest. The ancient mythologists call it the "ofifspriug of 



46 Memorial Addresses : Robert R. Hitt 

heaven and earth." Its supremacy in any human breast sig- 
nahzes a noble nature. And when to this exalted quality' are 
added gentleness and modesty, kindline.ss and sympathy, fel- 
lowship and helpfulness, we then indeed recognize a creation 
"where every god doth .seem to .set his seal to give the world 
assurance of a man." 

Robert R. Hitt has fought his fight and finished his course. 
He did generous .ser\'ice throughout, for which his State and 
the Republic will always hold his name and memory in high 
honor. 

We will sorely miss him, and the one con.solation we have is 
that his district has sent to this House as his successor one who 
measures up in so many ways to the high standard set by his 
predecessor. 

Every valuable and earnest career is a long conflict. In this 
conflict Mr. HiTT came off conqueror. 

He has laid his armor down and ' ' fallen ujX)n sleep. ' ' 

The knight's bones are dust, 

And his good sword rust ; 

His soul is with the .saints, I tru.st. 

Mr. LoWDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous con.sent that 
Members desiring to do so may have leave to print. 

The Speaker. If there be no objection, it will be .so ordered. 

There was no objection. 

The SpE.^KER. Under the resolution heretofore adopted the 
House stands adjourned until to-morrow at 1 1 o'clock. 

Accordingly (at i o'clock p. m. ) the House adjourned until 
Monday, February 18, lyoj, at 11 o'clock a. m. 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE 

Tuesday, December ^, igoo. 

Mr. CrLLoii. Mr. President, I ask that the resolution of the 
House of Representatives relative to the death of the late Rep- 
resentative Robert R. Hitt, of Illinois, may be laid before 
the Senate. 

The Vice-President. The Chair lays before the Senate 
resolution of the House of Representatives, which will be read. 

The Secretary read the resolution, as follows: 

In the House of Representatives, 

December s, rgo6. 
J?eso/z'ed, That the House has lieard with profound sorrow of the death 
of Hon. Robert R. Hitt, a Representative from the State of Illinois in 
thirteen successive Congresses. 

Mr. CuivLOM. Mr. President, I submit a resolution, and ask 
for its present consideration. 

The Vice-President. The Senator from Illinois .submits 
a resolution, and asks for its present consideration. The reso- 
lution will be read. 

The resolution was read, and unanimousl}- agreed to, as 
follows: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility' the announce- 
ment of the death of Hon. ROBERT R. HiTT, a Representative from the 
State of Illinois in thirteen successive Congresses. 

Mr. Lodge. Mr. President, I also offer another re.solntion. 
The Vice-President. The Senator from Massachu.setts 
proposes an additional resolution, which will be read. 
The resolution was read, as follows: 

Resolved, That as an additional mark of respect to the memory of the 
deceased the Senate do now adjourn. 

47 



48 Memorial Addresses: Robert R. Hitt 

The resolution was unanimously agreed to; and (at 2 o'clock 
and 55 minutes p. m.)the Senate adjourned until to-morrow, 
Wednesday, December 5, 1906, at 12 o'clock meridian. 

Saturday, February 2j, 1907. 

The \'ice-President laid before the Senate the following 

resolutions from the House of Representatives, which were 

read: 

In the House ok Representatives, 

February 77, 190^. 

Resoli'ed, That the business of the House be now suspended that op- 
portunity may be given for tributes to tlie memory of Hon. ROBERT R. 
HiTT, late a member of this House from the State of Illinois. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory of the 
deceased, and in recognition of his distinguished public career, the House, 
at the conclusion of these exercises, shall stand adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to the family 
of the deceased. 

Mr. CuLLOM. Mr. President, I sttbmit the following resolu- 
tions, and ask that they may be read. 

The V1CE-PRE.SIDENT. The Senator from Illinois proposes 
resolutions, which will be read by the Secretary. 

The resolutions were read, and unanimously agreed to, as 
follows: 

Rrsnlird, That the Senate expresses its profound sorrow on account of 
the death of Hon. RodkrT R. Hitt, late a mfniber of the House of Rep- 
resentatives from the State of Illinois. 

Resolved, That the business of the Senate be suspended in order that 
fitting tributes be paid to his memory. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these resolutions 
to the House of Representatives and to the widow and family of the 
deceased. 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Cullom, of Illinois 

Mr. President: This hour has been set apart that we may 
review the life, services, and character of a man well known to 
the majority of Members of this Senate, and with whom I was 
intimately associated, in public and private life, since our school 
days together, more than fifty years ago. 

I .speak of the late Hon. Robert R. Hitt, who ser\'ed as a 
Member of Congress from the State of Illinois for almost a 
quarter of a century. 

Mr. President, few men in public life occupied so high a place 
in the esteem and estimation of the people of his State and 
country as did Mr. HiTT. 

He was born in Urbana, Champaign County, Ohio, on Janu- 
ary 1 6, 1834. 

His father, the Rev. Thomas S. Hitt, settled in Ogle County, 
111., in 1S37, and this continued to be Mr. HiTT's home until 
the time of his death. His father was a Methodist minister, a 
man of force and character, one of the foremost citizens of his 
portion of the State, and it was through his effort that the Rock 
Ri\-er vSeniinary, at Mount Morris, 111., a prominent institution 
of learning in the early days of the State, was established. 

The late Representative attended the Rock River vSeminary, 
and, with Governor Beveridge, the distinguished John A. Raw- 
lins, the late Congressman G- L. Fort, John Hitt, and others, 
H. Doc. SoS, 59-2 4 4g 



50 M'liitor/a/ Addrcssts: Robert R. Hilt 

were classmates of mine. It was there that I first met and 
learned to know and appreciate his character, and the intimacy 
thus early formed continued until his death. 

Mr. HiTT was a thorough student. I never knew a young 
man who was a more constant reader and who seemed never to 
forget anything he once read. 

He received his first start in life through his knowledge of 
phonography. As a very young man he took a deep interest 
in shorthand and soon became one of the earliest and most 
capable .stenographers in the West. 

The first notable service which Mr. HiTT performed and 
which attracted the attention of the country to him was his 
reports of the Lincoln-Douglas debates in ICS58. He accom- 
panied Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Douglas to Ottawa, Freeport, 
Jonesboro, Charleston, Galesburg, Quincy, and Alton, 111., and 
it was through his proficiencj- as a .stenographer that millions of 
inten.sely intere.sted readers all over this country were enabled 
to have a daily verbatim report of this greatest of all political 
discu.s.sions, involving the most momentous issues, ever held in 
this or any other country. 

In his Twenty Years of Congress, James G. Blaine charac- 
terizes the Lincoln- Douglas debates of 1858' as " a discu.ssion 
which at the time was so interesting as to enchain the attention 
of a nation, in its innnediate effect so striking as to affect the 
organization of party, in its sub.sequent effect .so powerful as to 
change the fate of millions. ' ' 

Douglas was already a great national figure — one of the 
ablest of the leaders of a .Senate which included in its mem- 
bership as great a number of eminent statesmen and notable 
men as were ever before or since gathered togetlier in this 
Chamber — while Mr. Lincoln was then comparatively iniknown 
outside of his own State. One can .scarcely realize now the 



Address of Air. C/iHom, of Illinois 51 

intense interest which those debates awakened in every part of 
this cciuntry. They had a tremendous effect upon tlie pubhc 
sentiment of the daj'. L,incohi's masterly effort challenged the 
admiration of the people, and it was his wonderful success in 
this debate which finally culminated two years later in his 
election as President of the United States. 

Lincoln became much attached to the young reporter and 
would decline to begin the discussions until sure that HiTT was 
present. 

The story is told of an interesting occurrence which took place 
at Freeport, where one of the debates was held. 

A stand was erected in a field adjacent to the city. Thou- 
sands of people gathered about the platform. The speakers 
were ready. The throng was impatient. The tall form of 
Lincoln arose. He looked anxiously over the crowd. He 
called out, " Where's HiTT? Is HiTT present?" HiTT, from 
the extreme outskirts of the living nia.ss, answered, "Here I 
am, but I can not get to the platform." The good-natured 
people understood the situation. The}' seized the slender 
youth and passed him over their heads to the stand. 

Mr. HiTT's next important service was rendered as secretary 
of the Davi.s-Holt commission, sent to Missouri to investigate 
the Fremont regime in that portion of the country. It was a 
long, laborious, and important work, as the voluminous report 
prepared by him and still pre.served in the archives of Congress 
will show. 

After the conclusion of this service Mr. Hitt became associ- 
ated in a confidential capacity with that commanding figure of 
the civil war, Edwin M. Stanton, Lincoln's splendid Secretary 
of War. 

All during the civil war and later Mr. HiTT was employed in 
many confidential capacities, and his ability and proficiency 



52 Memorial Addresses : Robert R. Hi// 

were so well recoguized that his services were constantly sought 
by commissions, by committees of Congress, by military courts, 
and by the I{xecutive Departments. 

After the return from an extended trip to Europe and the 
Holy Land in 1 871 he accompanied, as its secretary, the Com- 
mission sent to vSanto Domingo by President Grant to inquire 
into the resources of the country, with a view to its annexation. 
Mr. HiTT prepared for the Commi.ssion a detailed report, which 
is .still one of the best authorities we have on that unsettled 
country. 

President Grant, like President Lincoln, had great respect 
for and confidence in Mr. HiTT, his capacit>' and ability, and 
in 1874 he appointed him as secretary of the United States 
legation at Paris, which position he filled, with great credit to 
himself and his country, for more than six years. 

That most popular American statesman, James G. Blaine, 
when he became Secretary of State under President Garfield, 
immediately tendered Mr. HiTT, whose personal friend he was, 
the position of Assistant Secretary of State. The tender of 
the position came as a surprise, but after some hesitation he 
accepted. He continued as Mr. Blaine's principal assistant 
until Mr. .Vrtluir became President, when he voluntarily 
retired with his chief. 

Although Mr. Hitt had held many important positions prior 
to 1882 and had enjoyed in the highest degree the respect, 
esteem, and confidence of the great public men of the day, 
commencing with Lincoln, Douglas, and Stanton, continuing 
with Grant, Garfield, and Blaine, his public career really coni- 
nienced when he entered Congress in 1882. The nomination 
was not solicited. It was tendered to him. P'or twenty-four 
years he continued to represent his district in Congress, and 
so much pride did the people of his district take in him that 



Address of Mr. CiiUom, of lUinois ^t^ 

he seldom had opposition in his own part}', and he was at 
times elected by majorities ranging from fifteen to more than 
seventeen thousand. 

Twenty-four years in the House is a long term of service. 
\'ery few men in our history have had so long, continuous, and 
honorable sen,-ice in the House of Representatives. 

The House is a great forum in which to achieve distinction. 
Many of our Presidents achieved, at least in part, that distinc- 
tion through the reputations they made as Members of the 
House. The reputation of a Member of the House is made 
only as a result of individual effort and ability. Here in the 
Senate seniority and long service do much. A member of 
Congress who can serve nearly a quarter of a century and 
retire with the reputation Mr. Hitt had is no ordinary' man. 
He must in the highest degree have had extraordinary ability. 

His long service abroad and in the State Department, his 
knowledge of our foreign affairs, and his ability peculiarly 
adapted him for service on the Foreign Affairs Committee. 
He was soon made a member of that committee, and later he 
became its chairman, in which position he contiiuied for many 
years and until his death. A more distinguished and able 
chairman that committee has never had. 

Mr. HiTT occupied an unique position in the House, and his 
death leaves a vacancy which can not easily be filled. In 
many respects he resembled the late Cushman K. Davis. Like 
Mr. Davis in the Senate, he took comparatively little interest 
in current legislation, but when any great subject affecting 
our foreign relations was under discussion he immediatelj- 
became in the fullest sense leader of the House, just as Mr. 
Davis, under similar circumstances, became the leader of the 
Senate. 

I think it will be admitted that he was more thoroughly con- 



54 Memorial Addresses: Robert R. Hill 

versant with all that p?.'. cains to our foreign relations than any 
other Member of tha. oody. 

Subjects affecting our foreign relations should be above par- 
tisanship. Partisanship should cease at our own shores, and 
questions pertaining to our relations with other governments 
should be considered and disposed of without regard to party 
affiliation. But when, unfortunately, such questions have been 
debated from a partisan standpoint, Mr. Hitt was naturall}- 
selected as the leader of his party on the floor of the House. 
How well he merited that distinction has been often testified to 
by his colleages, and the record of his many able speeches in 
Congress will demonstrate. 

His last great speech was a defen.se of the Administration on 
the recognition of Panama as an independent Government. It 
was, I believe, the first speech delivered in either House clearl)- 
and forcibly defending the President's position from the stand- 
point of international law. Even those who disagreed with Mr. 
HiTT were compelled to admit that it was a most able effort. 

He was appointed by President McKinley as a member of the 
commission to frame a form of government for Hawaii, and, 
with the senior Senator from Alabama and myself as the other 
members of the commission, spent some time in Hawaii making 
a personal investigation and framing a suitalile bill providing 
for its government. 

Mr. Hitt was not a politician. He knew verj' little of the 
intricacies or machinery of politics. He was purely the states- 
man, and fortunately he represented an unusually intelligent 
and appreciative constituency, who took great pride in his 
reputation and standing in Congress and continued him in the 
position he graced so well as long as he lived. 

In demeanor Mr. HiTT was always the thoroughly cultivated 
gentleman in the best acceptance of that term — quiet and mod- 



Address of Air. Citlloui^ of Illinois 55 

est, reserved and thoughtful, hut at the same time always 
approachable. When induced to take part in either private 
conversation or debate on the rostrum or on the floor of the 
House he alwaj's proved himself master of the subject. He 
was scholarly, a man of broad culture, speaking and writing 
several languages with ea.se and fluency, and a student all 
his life. 

He would have made a great Secretary of State, and at one 
time, not many years ago, I had every reason to suppose that 
he would be invited to assume the State portfolio. Had he 
lived and retained his health, I feel certain that this Govern- 
ment, on his retirement from Congress, would have availed 
itself of his .services as an ambas.sador to one of the important 
European countries. 

But it seemed decreed otherwise, and he passed awaj' at his 
summer home at Narragansett Pier, R. I., September 20, 1906, 
surrounded by those he loved best, well and favorably known 
by the diplomats and statesmen of Europe, mourned by his dis- 
trict and State, respected and esteemed b)' his colleagues in 
Congress and by the people of the whole couutrj'. 



56 Memorial Addresses: Robert R. Hitt 



Address of Mr. Lodge, of Massachusetts 

Mr. President: First impressions are the most vivid. They 
dwell longe.st in the memory. They remain clear and sharp in 
outline when later memories grow blurred. This is as true of 
new experiences or of a new course of life as of a new country 
upon which the glance of the traveler rests for the first time. 
So when a man comes to Washington and begins his service in 
Congress, the figures and events of his first year stand out more 
clearly in his recollections than many which have followed them. 
Among the men whom I remember best when I first entered 
Congress, twent}' years ago, was Mr. Hitt. He was one of the 
leaders, one of the recognized leaders of the House even then. 
Yet he seldom spoke and scarcely ever took part in the running 
debates of the daily sessions. But whenever he took the floor 
he had the complete attention of the House and its perfect con- 
fidence in all questions in which party lines were not drawn. 
His especial subject was foreign affairs, and he was the leading 
member, and during all his later years chairman, of the great 
committee charged with that important subject. His knowledge 
of our foreign relations, of our diplomatic history, and of the 
di])lomatic history of Eurojie was unsurpas.sed. There was no 
subject, no question involving our relations with other countries, 
upon which he could not at a moment's notice call out a wealth 
of information, not only as to the leading principles and essential 
conditions presented, but as to all the details, both personal and 
political, with which the history of the transaction could be 
illuminated or explained. But international relations and 
the hi.story of diplomacy were but i)art of a generous learn- 
ing which ranged over many fields and left none mitilled or 



Address of Mr. Lodge, of Mnssnchiise//s 57 

iinharvested. He was a man of the widest reading, and not only 
remembered what he read, but remembered it intelligently. 
His learning was never an incumbrance, but an adornment, 
worn as lightly as a flower and used as skillfully as the blade of 
the master of fence. 

Mr. HiTT was a statesman in the most exact and broadest 
.sense of the word, and men did not have to wait until he died 
to find this out. He was so recognized in the House, where he 
served so long, and his high qualities were equally recognized 
in the Senate, where, unfortunately for his State and country, 
he was never permitted to ser\-e. 

I have spoken of him as he appeared to me in his public 
capacity when I first saw him and as he continued to appear 
during all the succeeding years. But I should not satisf}' my.self 
if I did not speak of him as the friend whom I came to know well 
and for whom I never ceased to feel a deep affection as well as a 
very genuine admiration. Mr. HiTT, among man)- good quali- 
ties, had that of kindness to young men, and I have a very 
grateful memory of his kindness to me when I first entered the 
House. Thus it happened that I early became his friend, and 
there was no man whose society I more enjoyed. He was full 
of humor, which went hand in hand with his wide knowledge 
both of men and books, and a more agreeable companion, a 
more interesting man in talk, it would have been difficult to 
find. He had looked out upon the world as he pa.ssed through 
it with keen sight and observant e^'es. The ob.servation was 
always good natured, but always penetrating. He was without 
illusions, but he was the kindlie.st cynic that ever .smiled upon 
the incon.sistencies and absurdities and pretenses with which 
humanity is fond of soothing itself at suitable moments. 

But his charm as a companion and friend rested on those 
deeper and .stronger qualities without which the most compel- 



58 Memorial Addresses: Roberl R. Hilt 

liug charm is fleeting and superficial. He was eminently loyal 
to country, to party, and to friend. He was patriotic and able, 
looking far into consequences and possibilities. He was of high 
honor and unspotted life. Fortunate in the friendship and trust 
which Lincoln gave him in his youth, he was equally fortunate 
in his later life and friendships and the trust and confidence of 
the great President were continued to him in his age by the 
people of his State and country and were never forfeited. 



Address of Afr. Lodge, of Massac/iiisctls 59 



Address of Mr. McCreary, of Kentucky 

■ Mr. President: Death has taken from the Congress of the 
United States Hon. Robert R. Hitt, of the State of IlUnois. 
He died full of j'ears and full of honors with his harness 
on, and the effulgence of his intellect and the sunshine of his 
disposition and the purit}- of his patriotism unimpaired. 

I first became personally acquainted with him in 1885, when 
I was appointed a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
of the House of Representatives, of which committee he was 
also a member. I ser\-ed with him tweh-e years on that com- 
mittee, and a part of the time he was chairman of the commit- 
tee and part of the time I had the honor to be chairman of that 
committee, and our long association on that committee was 
never marred or disturbed by contention or disagreement, but 
was ever harmonious and pleasant and was the basis of friend- 
ship which strengthened with the lapse of years and will 
always be remembered by me with pleasure and gratification. 

God seems to place some men in spheres of life which are 
congenial and where they can best serve His purposes and bene- 
fit their country. For twenty-four years Robert R. Hitt was 
a Representative in Congress, and he seemed to be created for 
the duties of that office. The House of Representatives of the 
United States is one of the most important forums in the world. 
There men are judged not b}- the offices they have held nor by 
the splendor of their ancestry; not by the honor and renown 
they have achieved; not by the glamor of conspicuous civil or 
military careers, but they are judged by what they do, by the 
capacity, fidelity, and honesty with which they discharge the 
various and responsible duties of Representatives in the Con- 
gress of the United States. In that great forum questions are 



6o Memorial Addresses: Roberl R. Hitt 

discussed and measures enacted which concern the destinies 
of our Republic, and he who as a Representative of the people 
wins their approbation and advocates their welfare and helps 
to promote the great interests of the Republic is not onh' a 
worth}' and faithful public servant, but he has done that which 
in all ages and in all countries has merited and received last- 
ing honors and continuous admiration and respect. 

Mr. HiTT was equal in every respect to the position he held. 
His ability, industry, integrity, and faithful and efficient .ser\-- 
ice made him a model Congressman, respected by his colleagues 
and loved by his constituents. 

He was well equipped for all kinds of legi.slation and was a 
most excellent parliamentarian, but his services as chairman 
and as a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs were 
conspicuous. He eiUered Congress after he had experience and 
training as .secretary of legation and charge d'affaires at Paris, 
France, and As.sistant vSecretary of State, and after association 
with manj' of the ablest and most prominent men of our coun- 
try and of Europe, and he soon proved that he was a worthj^ 
representative of the great State of Illinois, which had been 
represented in the councils of the nation b}- Abraham Lincoln, 
Stephen A. Douglas, John A. Logan, David Davis, Lyman 
Truml)ull, and others. 

He was an earnest student of international law and was a 
recognized authority on all matters pertaining to our foreign 
affairs, and was well informed in diplomacy, and he could have 
discharged the duties of Secretary- of vState or'amba.ssador abroad 
with credit to himself and honor to hiscoiuitry. 

.Mr. HiTT lived in an age of the greatest achievements and 
the most marvelous progress the world has ever known. His 
life, which is a part of the hi.story of his time, illii.strated high 
appreciation of his environments and marked and noble efforts 
to make the world better becau.se he lived in it, and showed 



Address of Mr. McCrear\\ of Kciititckv 6i 

what a man can accomplish by intelligence, energy, integrity, 
and fidelity to duty. 

In his early manhood, after he was educated at De Pauw 
University, he was a stenographer and reporter, and he pre- 
served and published the exact words of lyincoln and Douglas 
in their great debate in Illinois in 1858, which marked an epoch 
in our country's history. He made rapid advancement in learn- 
ing and inofficial position, and in the largest part of his mature 
life he was a Congressman and participated in the administra- 
tion of the affairs and the enactment of the laws of the greatest 
Republic in the world during the period embraced by the Presi- 
dencies of Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, McKinley, 
and Roosevelt; and no man gave more earnest consideration to 
the great problems presented or did his part more faithfull}- 
among the patriotic and progressive leaders of his time, or tried 
more earnestly to do his duty as God gave him the wisdom to 
see the right, than Hon. Robert R. Hitt. 

Our friend, with his rare acquirements, courtly manner, and 
delicate and refined nature, has left us forever. Our loved col- 
league, in whose career no breath of suspicion ever assailed his 
integrity or dimmed the brightness of his lionor, now sleeps the 
sleep of death. He will be missed in the many spheres of use- 
fulness which he adorned. He will be missed in his district, in 
his State, and in the councils of the nation. He will be mi.ssed 
by his host of friends who admired, respected, and loved him, 
but above all he will be missed beyond expression in his home 
he loved so well, and of which he was the light and center, by 
his loving wife and devoted .sons. 

In halls of state he sat for many years 
Like fabled knight, his visage all aglow, 
Receiving, giving sternly, blow for blow. 
Champion of right; but from eternity's far shore 
Thv spirit will return to join the strife no more. 
Rest, citizen, statesman, rest; thy troubled life is o'fr. 



62 Memorial .Iddrcsses: Robert R. Hitt 



Address of Mr. Spooner, of Wisconsin 

Mr. President: The request b_v the distinKnished Senator 
from Illinois [i\Ir. Culloni] , the chairman of the Foreign Rela- 
tions Connnittee of the vSenate, and long an associate in public 
life of Robert R. Hitt, that I speak a word of tribute to his 
memory, comes to me as a command. It seems to be xwy rather 
unhappy lot to be called upon to .speak in unstudied words and 
inipolished sentences of colleagues and friends who have gone 
to the grave from public life. I looked upon Robert R. Hitt 
as a friend. I entertained for him great respect and admiration. 
There was an undefinable something about him that seemed to 
'come down from the Lincoln period. He was essentially indi- 
vidual to my apprehension; all in all a quaint character. One 
like Mr. HiTT could not, in early or later life, be the confidant 
and associate of Abraham Lincoln without obtaining from that 
as.sociation an education the like of which the schools do not 
and can not afford. 

Mr. HiTT, had he chosen to devote his life to purely legisla- 
tive functions in general, would have excelled as a practical 
legislator. But he was a born diplomat. He had spent much 
time almiad. He had gleaned from his .service in France a 
great and valuable discipline on the lines of diplomatic thought 
work. He chose to make that his specialty in public service, 
and he chose wi.sely and well and for the benefit of his country. 

He was not an orator in the .sen.se the world at large thinks 
and speaks of oratory, but he was a charming and interesting 
speaker. He was always fully possessed of e\-ery phase of the 
subject upon which he spoke. His diction, ne\er in the .slightest 
apparently studied, was al:)solutely exquisite in its .simplicity 



Address of Afr. Spooiicr, of JJ'isconsiii 63 

and beauty. More than once I have listened to him in the 
House of Representatives speaking upon some diplomatic ques- 
tion — and none are more important, none more complicated, 
none more difficult of wise solution, and oftentimes none more 
dangerous, than the questions which grow out of our foreign 
relations — and his thought was as clear as crj'stal and his 
language was as clear as his thought. 

He well deserved the abiding and complete confidence which 
the late but always to be rememliered John Hay reposed in him 
as a wise counselor and as a loj-al and devoted friend. I con- 
cur in all that has been said of him by the Senators who have 
preceded nie. He would have made an exceptionall)- able Sec- 
retary of State. I think, as much as the people of the United 
States admired and respected him; I think, as dearlj' as the peo- 
ple who for twenty-four years kept him as their Representative 
loved him, neither the country at large nor the people of his 
district fully appreciate the public .service which he rendered. 

It is a great mistake to measure a man's usefulness in public 
life, in the House or in the Senate, b}' the speeches which he 
makes here, by the reports which he writes and presents 
upon important public matters, or b^' the measures which he 
introduces. We here all realize, what the country at large 
can hardly be expected to realize, that a great mass of the 
valuable, splendid service rendered by the Members of the two 
Houses is rendered in committee room and in consultation 
with the different Departments of the Government. I know 
more than once when the wisdom, the experience, and knowl- 
edge of diplomatic historj- in our career as a nation has 
enabled Mr. HiTT to solve /a problem which gave all, however 
able, who were concerned in its solution great anxiety. 

He was a charming companion. He was one of the best 
raconteurs I e\-er met. His memory was stored with auec- 



64 Mevwrial Addresses: Robert R. Hi ft 

dotes and experiences gleaned from abroad and at home, which 
he told in an inimitable way, and no one of which he could not 
as a gentleman — fsr there was no finer gentleman — have told 
in the presence of a lady. His hospitality in his own home 
was delightful. He was a frank man. There seemed to be, 
while quite reserved, in him nothing of that stealthy reserve 
whicli sometimes characterizes the diplomat. He believed in 
the modern diplomacy, which tells the truth and which is 
franker and more open than the diplomacy of old times. 

Mr. President, like the Senator whose memory we have 
honored this afternoon, the heart of Robert R. Hitt proved 
in the end to be his mortal weakne.ss. I visited him .several 
times during the last months of his life, when he could not 
take ten .steps with .safety, and when sitting beside him on his 
porch not far from my home was the wife who had been his 
friend and companion and lover during all the years. He 
talked about the diplomacy of the country, the questions 
which confronted us, and the dangers which he thought — and 
he was a farsighted man — beset us; and with apparent sadness 
he .seemed to feel that he would not much longer be a partici- 
pant in the affairs which for so many years had ab.sorbed him, 
and ]X)inted here and there to possible solutions, one of which 
.since his death has been approved. 

I may say this in conclusion. His life in private and in 
public was spotless. He was a singularly able pubHc man, 
calm, wise, patriotic, and devoted. His memory will be for- 
ever fragrant and honored in the memory of our people, 
Mr. President, and I hope .some day, although I doubt it, 
the people of the whole country will come to know that for 
the labor of twenty-four and more years which he gave to the 
country, to our ])eople, they owe to him a "debt, innnen.se, of 
endless gratitude." 



Address of Mr. Kcan, of Nc7V Jersey 65 



Address of Mr. Kean, of New Jersey 

Mr. President: It is with no ordinary feeling that I rise to 
say a few words in memory of the distinguished man to whose 
memory and works for his country and State we to-day pay 
tribute. 

Mr. Hitt's pubhc career covered the most important and 
critical period of our histor_v and brought him into contact with 
the most famous men of the times. Beginning as a young man, 
he reported the famous debates between Lincoln and Douglas. 
Continuing in public life, it was his fortune to render distin- 
guished service to his countr}- during the Franco-Prussian war 
at the time of the siege of Paris. He also rendered to his coun- 
tr)' valuable assistance as Assistant Secretary of State under 
Mr. Blaine. But his great record was made as a Member of 
Congress. For more than twenty-four years he gave to his 
constituents and to the countrj^ the benefit of his cultivation of 
mind, his sound judgment, and his best efforts. 

I first knew Robert Hitt when I came to Washington as a 
young Member of Congress. It was then I- learned to appre- 
ciate the extent and accuracy of his stores of knowledge and the 
breadth of his wide experience. I learned to appreciate more 
than anything else his kindlj', generous nature, and while I 
admired him as a statesman, I loved him as a friend. Most of 
the happiness of those early da^'s in Washington I owe to the 
constant, daily association with one so kindly and so gifted. 
His was true sweetness of disposition, which the sharpness of 

H. Doc. SoS, 59-2 5 



66 Memorial Addresses : Robert R. Hit/ 

party strife, the bitterness of disappointment, or even the trial 
of long, weary illness could not ruffle or embitter. He served 
his country at home and abroad with ability and success. His 
attainments remain as monuments to his memory. He has left 
a place in the councils of his State and nation difficult to fill 
and a memory gracious, respected, honored, and revered. 



Address of Mr. Daniel^ of Virginia 67 



Address of Mr. Daniel, of Virginu 

Mr. President: It would be well for our country if there 
were more men in the public service of the character, of the 
mold, and of the temperament of the late Robert R. Hitt, 
of Illinois. He was a unique man, a very remarkable man, 
remarkable for the fine balance of his faculties and for the 
excellent good judgment he displayed on all occasions. He 
was remarkable for his serene and gentle disposition. It was 
not offensive to him that another differed with him in opinion, 
nor was he ever offensive in stating his differences of opinion 
with another. He was remarkable in his equipment and in his 
aptitude for the tasks of public life. Lord Bacon says, "Read- 
ing maketh a full man." Mr. HiTT was a full man. He had 
that thirst of knowledge which the Creator has implanted in 
generous minds that love the truth and can never be content 
in their quest for it. He read much and his fine memory kept 
in store what he read. 

The same great man has also said, "Writing maketh the 
accurate man." Mr. HiTT was an accurate man. He made 
just estimate of the tasks which he assumed. He had acquired 
the habit of writing in the most severe and delicate kind of 
manual composition, which requires the skilled hand and the 
nicest and closest application of the intellect. He was in youth 
a stenographer, and amongst the most skilled of that craft in 
the West. It is a great cultivation of the whole man to .study 
deeply any question or master any art. His compositions had 
that delicacy of expression and that fitness of statement which 
bespeaks the well-ordered mind. They flowed from the accu- 
racy with which he measured men and things. They flowed 



68 • Memorial Addresses: Rdhert R. Hill 

like streams within their banks. They hore t'lear !nessa.<2;es 
from a clear mind, and carried lis;kt in the exact communi- 
cation of specific thought to others. 

" Speaking," said Bacon, " maketh the readj- man." Mr. 
HiTT never seemed to have the amltition or the taste or the 
dramatic instinct to make himself a figure of conspicuou.sness 
or to shine on great occa.sious, but the .serenity of his mind 
appeared on all occasions and bespoke the settled judgment. 
When he chose to .speak, he spoke neatly and aptly, not to the 
galleries, not to an ab.sent audience, but to the point of what 
he was endeavoring to illuminate and to those who were decid- 
ing. He was a ready man, one not to be surprised or startled — 
ready because equipped and because of steady opinion and 
purpose, and because al.so gifted with the faculty of natural 
expre.ssiou. 

Mr. HiTT was credited by all who knew him to be a good 
man, one who felt the responsibility of the tasks conunitted to 
his hands, and one who sought in all becoming waj'S to accom- 
plish the objects and to carrj- out the \-iews which impressed 
him as right and just. -Vnd .so he could do these things. He 
.seemed to be utterly- careless of him.self. 

Mr. HiTT was one of the most unjiretentious men with whom 
I have ever been thrown in contact. In his intercour.se with 
others and in his dealings with j)ublic things it never occurred 
to you to suppose that he was thinking of him.self and yet when 
he dealt with things you could see that he had .seen through 
them, that he understood them, and tliat he was a master of the 
sul)ject which he undertook to illustrate. He was a conserva- 
tive man. He did not dip into man\- things, but he understood 
a few things and on these he was an authority and a guide. 
Like the distinguished vSenator from Kentucky [Mr. McCreary] . 
who lias paid to him to-day the just tribute of a colleague in 



Address of Mr. Daniel, of J'/rginia 69 

most eloquent and fitting terms, I first became acquainted with 
Mr. HiTT in the Forty-ninth Congress, when he was in the 
minority and when the distinguished Senator from Kentucky 
and I were in the majority of the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
of the House of Representatives. 

We were not long together before everyone realized that we 
were fortunate in his presence and in his having a share of our 
labors. I can not recall ever to have heard a word of partisanry 
uttered by him or that any kind of partisan spirit was ever 
engendered amongst the gentlemen who shared in the labors 
of that committee. They had respect for each other, and each 
went his way as he thought best. 

I then formed a high opinion of Mr. Hitt, both of his judg- 
ment, of his sincerity, of his learning and ability, and of his 
high and noble character. It is pleasing to me to reflect that 
at the end of nearly a quarter of a century I can contemplate 
long relations with him, not indeed those of intimate friendship, 
but those of frequent contact and association and manly feel- 
ing, in which never a word was said or anything done to break 
the current of cordial esteem and good will between us. 

Mr. President, I have broken bread by his fireside, and I 
know the charm of that home which was the crown of his life 
and the source of his greatest pride and joys. Many men, as 
has been remarked by the distinguished Senator from Wis- 
consin [Mr. Spooner] , have made great names and have shown 
in the public annals of our representative bodies here who have 
neither undertaken nor accomplished such worthy and such 
lasting tasks as did Mr. HiTT. Yet it is also true that if those 
records of the Government which are seldom seen by any eye 
and which make impression upon but few were brought to 
light and were to be given due and proper weight and consid- 
eration, I doubt if there is any man who has served the 



"JO Memorial Addresses: Robert R. Hitt 

United States in Congress ■5\-ithin a score of years concerning 
whom would be discovered and brought to light more durable 
and more worthy memorials of honest and useful pubUc servnce. 
He was useful to his country and to his kind. Is not this 
the best of all epitaphs, except that he left a name without a 
shadow or a blemish ujxjn it? It is no wonder that his con- 
stituency in Illinois were so faithful to him, for they had 
learned and they knew that he was faithful to them. He 
sought as his highest dignit\- and received the greatest of all 
rewards in knowing that they appreciated his ser\-ices. 



Address of Mr. Hopkins., of Illinois 71 



Address of Mr. Hopkins, of Illinois 

Mr. Sutherland. On account of the unavoidable absence 
of the junior Senator from Illinois [Mr. Hopkins], he requested 
me to read to the Senate the following : 

Mr. President: Death has claimed few public men recently 
more honored and respected by the people of Illinois than 
Robert R. Hitt. 

For several years the rugged health which marked his early 
and mature j'ears had deserted him. He fought the .grim mon- 
ster Death for years, however, with courage and persistency. 
During all this time he discharged his public duties and all 
personal and social obligations with a bright and cheerful spirit 
that are found ordinarily only in those who enjoy the best of 
health. 

When I first entered public life as a Member of the Forty- 
ninth Congress Mr. Hitt, whose district joined mine on the 
west in Illinois, was then a prominent figure in the House of 
Representatives. He was chairman of the Committee on For- 
eign Relations, and was honored and respected as one of the 
most cultured and distinguished members of that body. 

For a full quarter of a century he represented in the House 
of Representatives one of the most intelligent and richest dis- 
tricts in Illinois. It had been made famous before his day by 
sending to the House of Representatives of the United States 
such men as E. D. Baker, who fell at Balls Bluff, one of the 
most eloquent orators of his time and one of the most heroic 
figures of the civil war ; Elihu B. Washburne, a great historical 
character; Mr. Burchard and Mr. Hawk, less distinguished, 



72 Mrworial Addresses : Robert R. Hitt 

perha])S, than their predecessors, but men, however, of great 
ability, who rendered conspicuous service in the House of 
Representatives. 

Mr. HiTT had had a long and varied experience in public 
life prior to his Congressional career. He was Mr. Lincoln s 
especial friend long before that great man was thought of for 
the Presidency, and during the now famous debates between 
Senator Douglas and Mr. Lincoln Mr. HiTT was selected b\- Mr. 
Lincoln to take his speeches in shorthand and transcribe them 
for the public. He was a very young man at this period, but 
was regarded, and ju.stly .so, as the most accomplished stenog- 
rapher of his day. He had been educated at what was then 
known as Rock River vSeminary, in Illinois, now known as 
Mount Morris College, and later at De Pauw Universit}-, and 
thus brought to bear in the discharge of his duties .scholarly 
attainments and a literary finish to his work that are rare in 
shorthand-reporters. 

I-'or many 3'ears he was secretary of legation and charge 
d'affaires ad interim at Paris, and later was Assistant Secre- 
tary of State. In these several public positions he not only 
discharged his duty with fidelity, but with an abilit\- that 
ultimately led to his wider field of usefulness as a Member of 
Congress. 

During his entire service in the House of Representatives no 
Member exerted a wider influence than he in tlie House and 
cotuitry on all (piestions affecting our foreign relations. He 
had made an especial study of our diplomatic relations from the 
earliest history of the Government, and was looked up to as an 
authority on the various questions that from time to time came 
before the House of Representatives ailecting our relations with 
foreign countries. 

The people of his district loved and honored him, and their 



Address of Mr. Hopkins, of Illinois 73 

coufidence in him was reciprocated by a lo^'alty that knew no 
wavering. While he never forgot his duty to his State and 
country, his first love was to the people of his district, and he 
allowed no opportunity to pass unnoticed that enabled him to 
contribute to their welfare and prosperity. 

His death, while not imlooked for, when it came was a shock 
to the good people of his district and the State of Illinois. 

He has passed over the dark river. His voice will never 
again be heard in that great legislative body, the House of 
Representatives, where he so frequently, during his long and 
distinguished career, defended the great principles of govern- 
ment which have made our country the foremost nation of the 
world. 

He will be missed in the committee room, where his wise 
cotnisel controlled and directed his colleagues on the Foreign 
Relations Committee. He will never again be heard in the 
district that he so long and honorably represented in Congress; 
but his memory , Mr. President, will long remain not only with 
the people of his district and the State of Illinois, but with al 
who had the good fortune during his life to come within the 
circle of his acquaintance and fellowship, as an inspiration to 
them and to succeeding generations. 



o 



Lc 0? 



